The very premise of “Viceroy’s House” invites cynicism. Set during the 1947 Partition of India, in which the reluctantly departing British colonial rulers cleaved the subcontinent into India and Pakistan, the period drama focuses on the good intentions and imperial beauty of the English leadership’s last few months.

Historians estimate that the Partition led to between 200,000 and 2 million dead, as well as between 10 million and 20 million displaced. But director Gurinder Chadha (“It’s a Wonderful Afterlife,” “Bend It Like Beckham”) attempts to explore the cataclysmic human costs of the Partition without humanizing any of the Indian characters. And so we’re offered, on the 70th anniversary of the Partition (give or take a couple of weeks), another film about how brown suffering makes nice white people sad. The cynicism is well-earned.

The real-life Lord Louis “Dickie” Mountbatten was dubbed “Glamour Boy” by one American general and nicknamed “The Master of Disaster” after driving a British warship into another U.K. vessel. Given 15 or so months to oversee Indian independence — an event that would affect the lives of one-fifth of the world’s population — he sped up the timeline to five months after his plane landed in New Delhi. For no reason that I can discern, Chadha and her co-writers Paul Mayeda Berges (“Bride and Prejudice”) and Moira Buffini (“Tamara Drewe”) seek to rescue the reputation of this man from history’s opprobrium — and they bungle that, too.

“Viceroy’s House” opens with a montage of dozens of servants wordlessly cleaning the 300-room colonial palace that serves as the film’s inspiration. Men and women in colorful, impeccable uniforms sweep the walls, dust the picture frames, and wipe down the animal hides on the wall in scenes that function as an aesthetic apologia for British rule. Most of the servants are faceless, but two are not: Hindu Jeet (Manish Dayal, “Marvel’s Agents of Shield”) and Muslim Aalia (an evocatively sloe-eyed Huma Qureshi, “Gangs of Wasseypur”).

The contrived melodrama between the star-crossed lovers — a wooden plotline that also features the late Indian acting legend Om Puri in a tiny role as Aalia’s father — exemplifies the film’s lack of imagination. The metaphor of Partition as a boyfriend and girlfriend torn apart is condescending, unmoving and wholly inadequate.

So that’s the downstairs. Upstairs, Mountbatten (Hugh Bonneville, “Downton Abbey”) and his relatively enlightened wife, Edwina (Gillian Anderson), quote Churchill to each other by describing the viceroy’s duty as “the worst job in the world.” (Somewhere in the palace, the servant who cleans out their chamber pots raises an objection.) “The British empire brought to its knees by a man in a loincloth,” Edwina sighs about Gandhi (Neeraj Kabi) — remember, she’s the less racist one — in the kind of line whose casual disdain the filmmaker doesn’t seem to recognize as such. We’re meant to applaud as the ostensibly open-minded Edwina opts for an Indian chef instead of an English one.

The film’s historical revisionism extends to Dickie and Edwina’s marriage, which is recast from an estranged, open union to a nearly sitcom-perfect one between Dumb, Uxorious Husband and Smart, Supportive Wife. In the least likely moment between the Mountbattens, Edwina becomes righteously angry, in Ivanka levels of presumptuousness, because her husband has made a decision about India’s future without consulting her. (Again, we’re supposed to be impressed by her “feminist” gumption here.)

Skulking around the palace is General Hastings Ismay (Michael Gambon), who attempts to quell the emerging hostility among the servants as they overhear the colonial lords’ plans to rive India. Jawaharlal Nehru (Tanveer Ghani, “The Royals”), India’s first prime minister, and Muhammad Ali Jinnah (Denzil Smith, “The Lunchbox”), Pakistan’s founder, argue about the best course of action for their own constituents. The debates aren’t particularly involving despite the nonstop dispatches about massacres across the country.

Despite his protagonist status, Mountbatten never evolves past a collection of quirks, and he ultimately stands by while history is made by others. And that’s not a terribly engaging point of view around which to base a film.

Then, in the drama’s third act, Chadha switches gears to sharply but dryly denounce the British Empire. The resulting picture is a schizophrenic mess: A sop to the “Best Exotic Marigold Hotel” set that prioritizes the POV of Well Meaning White People that tacks on a political-economic analysis of burgeoning Cold War policies. It’s a custard-flavored rice pudding confetti’d with shredded-up newspaper. At least the film gets one thing right: “Mountbatten” is terribly fun to say in an overly foppish accent.

“Viceroy’s House” concludes with an autobiographical note about Chadha’s family’s experiences during the Partition. It lasts for just a few seconds, but it’s more stirring than just about anything in the previous 106 minutes. And it’s an important reminder that we need to think up new ways to memorialize important global events beyond terribly conceived features that trivialize that history.

'The Crown' Characters, Ranked From Worst to Best (Photos)

Netflix's "The Crown" is a royal treasure: Like their historical counterparts, the characters are most compelling when they're in the middle of a scandal. Here are the royals and their servants, ranked from worst to best.

Prince Philip (Played by Matt Smith)Many people would appreciate it if the King of England took them duck hunting and plainly explained their purpose in life. Philip's is to take care of his wife, the queen. But his ego won't allow him accept that, so he jollies around flying, planning a hipster coronation, and insulting the crowns of Kenyan rulers. Points for once holding an elephant at bay.

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Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor (Lia Williams)Why did King Edward give up his throne for her? It's clearly not her way with words, since she hardly ever talks except to complain. Apparently the real-life king appreciated her disinterest in the trappings of royalty. That may have been the whole appeal.

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Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother (Victoria Hamilton)In real life, they called her "the Smiling Duchess" because of her perpetual public expression. She's not so happy on "The Crown," for understandable reasons.

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Venetia Scott (Kate Phillips)We thought "The Crown" might be setting up a gross and tedious May-December affair between Winston and his secretary but OH MY GOD we did not see that coming. Her adoration of her boss leads to a magnificently dark twist.

Queen Mary (Eileen Atkins)She recognizes that being queen is a job. She's very good at her job.

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Peter Townsend (Ben Miles)Probably more talented and heroic than any of the people he serves, he nonetheless finds himself bending to their commands. He's the best argument for meritocracy over monarchy.

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Tommy LascellesThe Doug Stamper of Buckingham Palace is a joyless joy to watch.

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The former King Edward/Duke of Windsor (Alex Jennings)He abdicated the throne for the love of a total drip, hates his home country and plays the worst musical instrument there is. Oh, and he gets an allowance from his family like a child. Jennings and show creator Peter Morgan have made him delightfully despicable.

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Winston Churchill (John Lithgow)Perhaps the most brilliant thing about "The Crown" is that a takes a superhuman figure -- a man who literally helped save the world -- and focuses on his little flaws. He feels mortal and alive. And did anyone else have a twinge of national pride that another Yank finally got to play a Brit instead of the other way around? Lithgow and Renee Zellweger should dump tea into Boston Harbor to celebrate.

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Queen Elizabeth II (Claire Foy)She packs more into a single "oh" than any other practitioner of the English language, so of course God handpicked her to be queen. Foy is excellent as a woman tragically torn between herself and her title.

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King George VI (Jared Harris)He clearly doesn't want to rule, but unlike his throne-absconding brother, George has the let's-get-on-with-it-then grit of a plumber. And he alternately stammers and sings.

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Princess Margaret (Vanessa Kirby)A great role model who proves you can be a princess and a home wrecker. Kirby is so compelling as the most passionate royal that we kind of wish she'd gotten a crack at playing the queen. Of course, it would have posed problems dramatically: Everyone would have bended to her will as easily as poor Peter Townsend.

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Prince Philip, again (Matt Smith)That's right: The worst character is also the best, because that's how "The Crown" works: It crushes our fairytale fantasies and nitwit-royals stereotypes alike. Philip is a noble twit, and that's compelling.

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Netflix's "The Crown" is a royal treasure: Like their historical counterparts, the characters are most compelling when they're in the middle of a scandal. Here are the royals and their servants, ranked from worst to best.

Inkoo Kang is the News Editor of Indiewire’s Women and Hollywood blog and a frequent contributor to The Village Voice and the Los Angeles Times. She has also written about film and television for The Atlantic, the Chicago Tribune, Salon, and Vulture. Her great dream in life is to direct a remake of “All About Eve” with an all-dog cast.